Another Day in the Garden

They say time spent in the garden is never wasted. Well that is true as we didn't waste any time today. We've planted a punnet of Broccoli and a punnet of Cabbage as well as a punnet of Leeks. These things take much less time if the bed has already been weeded and compost added a few days earlier.

It's a bit early for Onions but not too early to put some Onion seed into a punnet and get a start. And with watering in and relocating a few plants that was the morning gone. Jean went off to the dentist to start work on a new crown. apparently it will be an hour and a halves drilling and shaping.

Knowing Jean would be in a lot of discomfort when she returns home it was a busy afternoon getting as many chores out of the way so that she did not have to concern herself with them. Every body was fed and watered, washing hung out and some brought in and the vegetable garden scoured for dinner ingredients. And a start was made on the evening meal. When she did return she wasn't well. A lot of the trouble comes from having your mouth stretched open for so long. Apparently even the dentist found it hard going. They even put off asking for payment until the next visit so as not to inflict more pain.

A quiet evening and an early meal.

Summer is nearing its end but the garden is still producing. Collected Watermelon, Rockmelon, Okra, a few Tomatoes and salad ingredients. And there is still more to come.

First Pineapple for this year

Turmeric doing exceptionally well

The Dragon Fruit has been setting fruit madly

Dragon Fruit

The Indian Runner Ducks - still timid

Indian Runner Ducks

This post could be titled any number of ways:

Wacky Leaves Home
Un-Wacking the Wack Pack
Wack Free Zone
Wack Off
Wackless HHF

Wacky got her name because she was born with a slight problem i.e. throwing her head back in a fit. This occurred very often. Our guide book said feed her a little sugar and water very often. The problem being a shortage of glucose to the brain. It may take days but should fix the problem. Well eventually she came good. And she grew into the most beautiful duck. Jean could pick her up and she would rub her bill against Jean's cheek.  She also showed the others how to do things. First to use the baby pool, first to show how to eat Cucumber etc.

As with all these things there was a problem. She was a duck with four brothers. At 21-26 weeks they would become sexually mature and some very nasty things would happen.

There were a number of solutions:

1. Freeze 3 drakes
2. Freeze Wacky
3. Give 3 drakes away
4. Give Wacky away.

And so the nice lady who gave us the eggs agreed to adopt Wacky who would join her drake and three ducks.

There was a sad afternoon when Jean picked up Wacky and cuddled her. Wacky billed her cheek with affection and then went into the box and I was tasked with delivery. Jean went off to cry.

Wacky is the 2nd on the right with the delicate brown neck, obvious as she is the prettiest.

The best news ever was that she was accepted into the group almost immediately as you can see from the photograph above.

Jean emails Wacky most days with news from HHF and Wacky responds with news of her adventures.

Last email from Wacky:

Hi First Mum,

Just had to tell you how my first day at big pool went - I swam & swam & swam.These kids don't stop for morning or afternoon naps, I'm sooo tied.I've been put to bed (a little early I thought ) with the big kids tonight,I hope they don't snore as they said we have to swim all day tomorrow too?

Love Wacky

PS

I have figured out why they hassled me this morning - it's because I'm younger & prettier than them.

Response from Jean:

Dearest Wacky,

You are such a clever girl! The Smith kids are known as the best swimmers in the district; you have gone to a wonderful family and home. I hope you don’t complain too much. Your new Mum will do nothing but look after you, so you must do as she says, when she says it. Just think of those wonderful days on that fabulous dam – just meant for ducks, even Runner ducks.

Love always,

First Mum

PS You and I Wacky may think that you are prettier, but the Smith kids are lovely too. In fact, you wouldn’t be the girl you are without them.

PPS Your brothers said to say a big hello. They also wondered if you could send over, by courier wild duck, some instructions on how to get into the pond here, how to get into the house at night, how to get through the open gate into the orchard and... they’ll send a full list via that courier wild duck.

So much for our New Year Resolution Point 1. Have a more balanced life.

First Day Back After the Christmas Break.

It went straight out the window on day one and last seen disappearing over the horizon.

Despite getting up early as usual to pump up and water because of the predicted hot day following several other hot days we never got in front far enough to sit and read. After the exercise in the pool I was off to work across the river which took two hours back in time to send Jean over to do her bit harrowing paddocks which took a couple of hours. In between watering individual trees that looked limp a Roquefort was commenced. Jean got back mid afternoon in time to start making some dishes for dinner (frittata and stuffed Capsicums) and get on with feeding chooks, cats, dogs and ducks. After starting the pumps a second time so we could irrigate the vineyard it was back to work to reset the two irrigation units. Returned by 5.30 to complete the processing of the Roquefort and finally enjoying a cool drink with some cheeses after 6 pm.

We are stealing ourselves for what we think is a duck disaster i.e. 4 drakes and 1 duck. Jean is not 100% certain of the make up but pretty sure. Options are limited. Find a home for 3 drakes or one duck or find 3 more ducks. The easiest is to find a foster home for the duck but that is little Waky the one she nursed back to health. Only good news is that all 5 have worked out how to climb into their swimming pool. I can see why people love ducks. They are so interesting to watch.

Pruning Stone Fruit

One of the tips picked up recently was the concept of pruning stone fruit foliage once the fruit has been harvested. This means a Summer not Winter pruning. The advantage is faster healing of the cuts and less chance of infections. The practice is to remove one third of the foliage, fertilise and deep soak. A useful link is Canberra Organic Growers Society and also ABC Gardening Australia  as well WA Department of Agriculture and Food Each of these provides a little extra information to round out the understanding of the art of pruning.

Pruning a few trees in Summer also means that the work load is spread over multiple months and seasons a real bonus in a busy garden schedule.

Many years ago we watched an episode of Gardening Australia which featured a gardener in southern Tasmania. He had pruned all his fruit trees so that the limbs were all about shoulder and head height. This allowed him to harvest the fruit without the use of steps or ladders and as he was in his eighties and living alone it seemed like a worthwhile practice.

 

We also try to get the pruning completed in most years with limbs within arms reach. For us attaching Fruit Fly exclusion bags is much faster if both feet are on the ground. Removing them when the fruit is ripe is also much quicker and simpler if you are not climbing up and down a ladder.

 

 

Fruit Fly Exclusion bags have worked extremely well for us and the cloth bags have also protected the fruit from birds and bats. The bags are best affixed just after the flower has finished and the small green fruit has just formed. Any later and the Fruit Fly will have already done its bit. It is quite simple to wander about the orchard each day or two with a bucket of bags inspecting the flowering trees and slip on a bag over any newly formed fruit. This gradual process takes away the tediousness of performing the task in one sitting. We keep the knots simple. Just a tightening of the drawstring and a single knot is sufficient. occasionally we will use a bow if the bag is hanging down so that it doesn't slip off.

Removal is not all that difficult. By keeping the knot simple the bags come of with ease. A wheel barrow with a container for the fruit and one for the bags. Making sure the bags have been shaken out to get rid of leaves and spiders they are allowed some time to dry if damp and then stored in a vermin proof container until next year.

And the Ferds have discovered their Christmas present. It took a while to work out how to get in. But once in they are like little kids cavorting in the pool.

Storing Feed Grain, Ferdies, Cattle

Just before Christmas we collected various grains for the chickens. We were running a bit low and with the holiday break coming up we thought we had better cover ourselves in case the supplier (Wadwells) was closed for a longer than normal period.

Wadwells are an excellent supplier. Not only are they the lowest price on pure grains but your order is packed on the spot from the silos ensuring a fresh high quality product.

The chooks have gone off wheat for the moment and normally that would be the largest portion but this time Barley and Sorghum (Milo) take a more prominent position. Last time we took some cracked Lupins but nobody was interested. This time we picked up just a couple of kilos to see if we could wean the new babies onto this excellent feed.

All the bins containing the last remnants of the previous purchase had to be emptied into smaller containers and the larger feed bins washed out and left to dry in the sun. This minimises the risk of weevils. We try to keep 4-8 weeks supply at all times just in case there is an interruption in supply.

 

 

The Indian Runner ducks (Ferdies) continue to grow. They are a very nervous breed and it doesn't take much to put them into a panic.

We let our cattle into the Nuttery every now and then depending on the amount of feed. Unlike the Orchard it can have sections isolated to keep the cattle from damaging or eating some of the more flavoursome varieties. It seems that Avocado and Mango are favourites.

Feeling sorry for them I opened the gate before all the fences were up. And it is uncanny how rather than leap at the succulent green grasses they immediately try to pull off the Mangos. They just can't help themselves.

Beer, Tropical Apples and other fruit and Vegetables

German Dark wheat Bottled - 60 stubbies

The Tropical Apple with exclusion bags

The problem when too many pieces of fruit mature in an older cotton bag

 

As usual the Tropical Apple is always ready for harvest just before Christmas

And it never stops flowering

A fresh hand of Bananas ripening on the bench seat



The Quince fruit looks good but still a month or two off perfection

Isabella table grapes ripening slowly on the fence



Chambourcin further advanced

Rattlesnake climbing beans so prolific we struggle to keep up

 

And finally the Ferdies almost doubling in size each day. They follow Jean around but are very timid birds and frightened of me.

Ducklings, Bees and Roadworks

Jean is having a ball with the ducklings. They follow her everywhere but then they become exhausted and just collapse in a pile. Wacky has fully recovered although being the last born is noticeably smaller that the others. But Wacky is the leader of the pack. Wherever they go Wacky is out in front showing the way. They are now known as the “Wack Pack”. Last night Jean lead them from the day pen to the house, into the laundry, through the kitchen down the hall and into the bathroom before scooping them up and putting them into the night bassinet. As usual baby sitting has taking priority over every thing else although a bit of hand watering can take place as the “Wack Pack” will sit around and watch.

The bees are “bearding” by lunch time. This is a common sight on hot, humid days with a big hive and a good nectar flow. They have collected so much nectar that they cannot dry it unless some of the bees move outside and allow more ventilation space. The configuration is different from a swarming hive and it is past the swarming season. You can see from the photograph that bees are still arriving with nectar. Another test is to hold a lighted match near the opening. One side will show air going in and the other air going out. A solution might be to make larger ventilation grills in the lid or put in a spare box with grills added. I'm loath to do this because it could create a haven for SHB. I may just let them sort this out themselves rather than continually interfere.

 

 

Despite the hot humid day after baking some savoury sour-dough biscuits and weeding another garden bed I finally bit the bullet and got stuck into repairing the potholes in our 300 metre bitumen driveway. It took just over three bags of bitumen to finish the job which is just as well as that is all we had. One hole was that deep it required some filling rocks and a bit of concrete to bind it all. But the job is finished. The worst part was walking back up the steep drive to collect more bags of bitumen and when finally finished pushing the wheelbarrow with the tools home.

 

My list is getting shorter.

Home Hill Farm Clinic

Home Hill Farm Medical Centre is open for business.

Wacky (as in wacko) the Indian Runner who spent the first few days following birth madly throwing its head backwards and falling over usually into water container is cured. For some days now there has been no fitting. Thanks to The Backyard Duck Book and its author Nyiri Murtagh. As often as possible we would put a few drops of sugared water into Wacky's tiny beak/bill. The apparent cause of the problem was lack of Glucose to the brain.

Wocky (as in wockeye) the Rhode Island Red arrived with a problem in one eye causing it to be shut and looking infected. Using a jeweller's eyepiece we trimmed away some suspect fur around the eye. An extremely difficult and delicate task. Jean regularly bathed the eye with a salt solution and for a few days it worsened then the swelling disappeared but the eye remained partially shut. It is now fine fully open to the point we had trouble picking which one is Wocky.

Tippy (tippy toe) the Rhode Island Red arrived with both sets of toes curled under. Using gaffer tape (after trying various other adhesive tapes) we have been binding Tippy's toes in various ways to maintain an extended position. Most of the toes now no longer curl under. They are not perfect and skew a little to the side but they are functional. The main toes still need binding but they are improving each day. Tippy does have a habit of slipping out of his orthopaedic shoes and requires a new pair at least once each day. We are optimistic that she will be fine if we persevere.

 

 

There is now a new collective noun for a gaggle of ducks - “A lap of ducks” They run across the grass and leap into a spare lap, hunker down and go all quiet. Occasionally one or more will climb up your body to get under your chin or into an armpit. Jean's productivity has plummeted as a result of much time spent “bonding” with her babies.

 

 

Indian Runners. Netting Grapes, Coconut Yogurt

The ducklings are doing well. Jean was performing the recommended imprinting during incubation i.e. speaking to them every time they were turned. Indian Runners are supposed to be a flighty nervous bird. Obviously something has changed as these insist on climbing on her and cuddling up. Wacky the last one born who still has little fits of throwing his head back seems fine other than when he has these little episodes.

Jean loves to sit with them to continue the bonding. It's a worthwhile investment. Karl mentioned in yesterday's blog comes to the call because every night when he was locked up Jean would cuddle him and whisper his name in his ear.

Wacky is closest to the bottom with his head back

There were a few opportunistic fruit damaging birds around the vineyard in the last few days and veraison has commenced i.e. onset of ripening. Just a few bunches showing tinges of red.

We lost all but one of the early plums this week to fruit bats who tore open the paper bags. I don't want to lose any grapes intended for wine.

The presence of birds is a good indication that it is time to put up the nets something we'd like to leave as late as possible as it is not ideal for grapes. The Chambourcin and Isabella mind less as they are a hybrids but the Tannat is more susceptible to mildews.

The white netting always looks pretty with the backdrop of green when it is up at first. Later as the vines grow through it and the grass gets untidy it is less attractive. If it doesn't rain too much the mildew stays away but too much rain and high humidity is a killer.

The nets are stored in 200 litre drums to avoid rat damage with each net labelled with its row number as no two rows are identical in length. Twelve trips to and from the hay shed and then both of us lay out the nets and with one of us on each side we drape them as neatly as we can. Later The ends will be stapled shut and a few rocks to hold down the base against strong winds. Surprisingly even though we don't have a fancy mechanism to put up the netting it takes very little time.

The coconut yoghurt was not going well. After 24 hours it hadn't thickened and the souring wasn't apparent. It still tasted like coconut milk. More thickener was added and some more culture. Then last night I left the burner running too long and it overheated. In an attempt to take out the jars before they overheated I accidentally unlocked the clip lock and the contents spilt out. Bugger!

Fish Mulch, Karl, Ducklings

With the clearing weather the spare freezers were turned off and the fish frames collected on Thursday given a chance to defrost a little and into action came the mulcher. We've found the most efficient way to mulch these into a fine mince is through the chipper.

The mighty mulcher

Fish frames, heads and offcuts

The girls like to get in involved

A couple of kilograms, double bagged and on cardboard cat food trays. The cardboard prevents the bundles freezing together

Karl the rooster lives over in the chook pen but being a lover not a fighter he doesn't get out much in case the other roosters pick on him. He will sneak out when no one is about and have a little food and water. To compensate we bring him over to the house every afternoon to get a decent feed and eat some grass.

He is a perfect gentleman with the two yard girls and finds food for them. The other afternoon I was feeding the magpies their mince and Karl and Bootsey came over for their share. I gave them both a small piece but Karl didn't eat his preferring to offer it to Bootsey. You may be familiar with that call roosters make to say there is food here. Continuing to feed the magpies I received a solid ding on my foot. Karl requesting more mince which I gave him but again he called Bootsie rather than eat it himself. A few minutes later another ding on the foot from Karl as a reminder that they were waiting. Try and convince me that chooks aren't real people just caught up in feathered suits.

Karl always has a little food and then a drink. He is very conscious of the need to drink plenty of water



Karl being laid out. Being such a calm individual he can be picked up and rolled about in your hands without flapping. If you place him on the ground on his side he stays put.

This is Bootsey one of the two well behaved yard chooks

All the ducklings hatched today. Only one has a slight problem of throwing its head back which could be a sign of not getting sufficient sugar to the brain. We have been taking turns to eye dropper sugar and water into its beak a few times each hour.

"The Backyard Duck Book" by Nyiri Murtagh is the best duck bible around. Jean has read it from cover to cover several times and says it is clear and easily understandable and very thorough. We borrowed our copy from the library but it is so good that we ordered a copy online.

Finished the Korean Kim Chi batch. This is a good recipe.

And a large Fudge slice which we tasted for morning tea after a very thorough session in the pool.

Silton, Chocolate, Saurkraut, Peanut Butter, Coconut Yogurt and Indian Runner Ducks

Woke up this morning to rain. That means we can work on some outstanding indoor tasks. Yesterday evening milk was collected. Only a few litres were bottled and the rest is sitting in the spare fridge letting the cream rise. Jean needs cream to make cultured butter as our stocks are a bit low.

Stilton is the next cheese on our schedule. The first change to the recipe is the fat content. Stilton normally has a higher than normal fat level but as a large portion of the cream is gone it seems it won't be a true Stilton. The next modification (accident) is the starter is to be added and left for 30 minutes. Being in a rush to go and feed our cattle their morning hay that little step is overlooked. An extra 30 minutes is added to the rennet time as compensation. Stilton is a slow cheese, 100 minutes here and then a 100 minutes there followed by a long draining period and pressing before crumbing and re-pressing.

After our cattle are fed their half bale of Lucerne their afternoon meal of sprouted grain is prepped. Put the overnight sprouted grain from the colander into a bucket and add some molasses and leave that in the kitchen so we don't forget. Empty the soaking grain from yesterday into the washed colander, rinse that bucket and add the carefully measured quantity of fresh grain cover well with water.

Back in the kitchen to make some chocolate. A big batch of plain dextrose, coconut oil chocolate to be used to make some fudge and other various morning tea delights. Dextrose provides sweetness but doesn't fool the system into believing you are still hungry. Today for a change the coconut oil is melted so that some exact measurements can be taken. In the past it has been a bit slapdash just scooping out large chunks of solidified oil.

5 parts coconut oil
3 parts dextrose
7-8 parts cocoa powder ( usually best to this to taste, we like a more dense chocolate flavour)

The oil and dextrose first and stir a long time. Dextrose is slow to dissolve.

Stir in the cocoa powder until the mix is smooth. Van Houten's cocoa powder is our flavour preference. Then into moulds to set.

After making the big blocks it was time to make some thin blocks with roasted peanuts and another batch with fried coconut chips and some desiccated coconut. These blocks are made very thin for better mouth feel.

The raw peanuts with shell were roasted in the oven at 200 C. Two kilograms worth. Only a small quantity was used for chocolate and the remainder was ground into peanut butter. Some will go into sate and some just spread on toast with honey.

A week ago the last of the cabbage was harvested and it has just sat in the refrigerator for lack of time to process. Today, one was put aside for cooking and half of the remainder went into sauerkraut. Having tried all types of recipes our favourite is a coarse slicing, a little salt to aid juice extraction (done to taste) and a generous helping of Caraway seeds for flavouring. We keep the processing simple. A few minutes of scrunching in a big stainless bowl then stuffed into a clip lock jar. The stuffing is where most of the bruising occurs. The end of a wooden spatula is used to drive the cabbage firmly into the jar. A jar of water is used as a weight and this is left on the kitchen bench for a week before refrigeration.

The coconut yogurt is set up next.

3 x 375 ml jars of 100% coconut milk. Careful here most of the brands have additives. Ayam and A&T brands are the only pure ones found so far.

3 table spoons of Tapioca starch as a thickening agent

1/4 teaspoon freeze dried yogurt culture

Mixed well and poured into small clip lock jars and immersed in water at 40-43 C for 24 hours. Yes it cools down during the night with no one awake to keep up the temperature but just maintain the temperature the next day to compensate.

The Indian Runner ducks started hatching while all this kitchen work went on. As they dried off they were transferred to the nursery in the bath tub.

A busy day with baby chicks. The mother and three from the first incubator batch were transferred to the main pen of chickens. She is a ferocious mum and this task was not simple.

The four chicks from the second incubator hatching did not have the good fortune of a handy broody hen. They are feathering up well and are transferred to the now empty pen of the first batch. This will be the first night outside for these four but they have been spending their days outside during the day and only nights in the bathtub.

The newly hatching ducklings now have a spare container into which they can reside.